Weekly "Table Talk" story and questions by the author of the Art of Amazement. To subscribe to this blog via email, visit http://jsli.org .

Friday, October 19, 2012

Ghost App

In memory of Andrew Sarosi - Aharon ben Chaim. May his memory be for a blessing and his family be comforted.

Good news and bad news on the app front this week.

The
good news is that the App is now available for the Kindle Fire. If you
have any Kindle Fire users in your family, on your Facebook network, or
beyond, please let them know about the Amazing Jewish Fact-a-Day
Calendar.

The bad news is that Apple's iOS 6 upgrade a few weeks
ago seems to have been a bad fit for the app, which is now crashing on
many iphones and ipads.

The good news is that our crackerjack programmer has found the bug and we are working on an upgrade.

The bad news is that in the meantime thousands of users around the world are missing out on their daily amazing Jewish fact.

So I thought I'd share today's fact with you, for you to share with your table.

=== October 19, 2012 / 3 Cheshvan 5773 ===

Ghost Story

Do you like a good ghost story?

One
of the world's oldest ghost stories is in Tanach, the Bible. King Saul
is desperate. He is facing a massive battle with the dastardly
Philistines and is not getting any guidance from the usual prophetic
channels.

In desperation, he turns to a sorceress, the so-called Witch of Endor.

The king goes incognito and asks her to bring up the prophet Samuel, Saul's mentor, who had died a few months earlier.

To her surprise, the seance works - Samuel's ghost comes up (feet first, by the way).

"What are you disturbing me for? Is that you Saul?"

"Sorry, I just need to know what's going to happen in this battle, I'm quite afraid."

"Well, in that case, I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want first?"

"Tell me the good news first."

The
good news is that you are eventually going to be joining me here"
(i.e., despite your many mistakes, you're going to have a share in the
World to Come).